US50 Phase 1: Wrapping up the last couple days of the trip

Nov 1 Headed south.

I went south out of Amarillo this morning down I27 which starts in Amarillo and only runs the 100 or so miles down to Lubbock. The terrain was as flat as any I have been through so far until I got south of Lubbock on US84 and around the Mountain Fork of the Brazos River where bluffs and mesas started to show up again.

I stopped in Abilene for the night at a campground that didn’t bother to mention the fact that they are redoing the bathrooms and the only open facility is a single unisex unit.

But all is good. My wife put her sisters, who just delivered their dad to the Texas coast for the winter fishing season, on the plane this morning so there’s room at the house for me and I am headed home.

Nov 2 Still southbound

I checked Abilene out a little this morning before hitting the road. It really is an industrialized town, at least the parts I was in.

 

Even though it's closed for the season I also ran the 12 or so miles south down FM89 (FM = farm to market) to a town with the great name of Buffalo Gap where there's a small recreation of an 1850’s era town. I saw what I could from the wrong side of the fence and I don’t know, maybe Cow Town in Wichita spoiled me, but I wasn’t too disappointed it was closed. It didn’t look too bad, but not fantastic either.

I headed back up to Abilene, stopped at the Abilene Mall just because it was right there and picked up a pretzel to snack on. from there it was south of US84. 

I ran 84 on down to Lampasas for my last night out on this trip. Things are a bit warm around here and I would rather be driving in the cool. Driving in the heat seems to be wearing me out today. I’m going to have to get acclimated again.

I stopped for the night at a campground I’ve been in before but I don’t remember the road noise being so bad. Oh well, at least the bathrooms here are great. Each one is private and includes sink, toilet and shower.

 

Nov 3 And home

I’m getting ready to have breakfast this morning then run the last few familiar miles home. The last days of this trip have been pretty melancholy and I'm ready to see our driveway!

 

The plan is to pick up US50 where I left off next fall and complete the coast to coast journey.

 

The trip stats for phase 1 of the trip:

 

45 days

6723.5 Miles

149.5 miles average per day

338.7 Gallons of fuel

19.86 average miles per gallon